FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Dear Rob: I love to be proven wrong. That’s not an ironic statement. I actually get excited and feel creative when I acquire new information that shows me I’ve been operating under a misunderstanding. One of my very favorite life moments occurs when I am convincingly liberated from a negative opinion I’ve been harboring about someone. As you can tell, I’m quite proud of this quality. The way I see it, emotional wealth and psychological health involve having so much selfrespect that I don’t need to be right all the time. — Sagittarian Freedom Fighter.” Dear Freedom Fighter: Thanks for your testimony. The capacity you described is one that many Sagittarians will be poised to expand in 2010. And this is an excellent week for them to start getting the hang of it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):In an early version of the tale ofPinocchio, friendly woodpeckers chiseledhis nose back to its original sizeafter it had grown enormous from hisincorrigible lying. From a metaphoricalperspective, Capricorn, a comparabledevelopment may soon occur in yourown life. A benevolent (if somewhatrough) intervention akin to the woodpeckers’assistance will shrink an overgrown,top-heavy part of your attitude,allowing you to proceed to the nextchapter of your story with streamlinedgrace.AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):“There is light enough for those whowish to see,” wrote French philosopherBlaise Pascal, “and darkness enoughfor those of the opposite disposition.”I’m hoping you will align yourself withthe first group in the coming week,Aquarius. More than ever before, whatyou choose to focus on will come rushingin to meet you, touch you, teachyou, and prompt you to respond. Evenif all the smart people you know seemto be drunk on the darkness, I encourageyou to be a brave rebel who insistson equal time for the light.PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20):White dwarfs are small and extremelydense stars. They’re typically no biggerthan the Earth but as heavy as the sun.You currently have a resemblance toone of those concentrated balls of pureintensity. I have rarely seen you offeringso much bang for the buck. Youare as flavorful as chocolate mousse,as piercing as the scent of eucalyptus,as lustrous as a fireworks display on amoonless night. Personally, I’m quiteattracted to your saucy and zesty emanations,and I think most people withstrong egos will be. But some underachieverswith lower self-esteem mayregard you as being more like astringentmedicine. My advice: Gravitatetoward those who like you to be powerful.ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19):When Carolee Schneeman was a kid,her extravagant adoration of natureearned her the nickname “mad pantheist.”Later, during her career as a visualartist, she described her relationshipwith the world this way: “I assumethe senses crave sources of maximuminformation, that the eye benefits byexercise, stretch and expansion towardsmaterials of complexity and substance.”I hope that you’re attracted to that perspectiveright now, Aries. To be in mostproductive alignment with the cosmicrhythms, you should be in a state ofnearly ecstatic openness, hungry to bestretched — like a mad pantheist.TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20):“Dear Rob: Last night my son and Iwere star-gazing. When we focused onthe constellation Cassiopeia, an owlstarted hooting. Then a brilliant shootingstar zipped by as a huge bat flewright over our heads. Was this a badomen? Bats are creepy — associatedwith vampires. And in Greek mythologyCassiopeia got divine punishmentbecause she bragged that she and herdaughter were more beautiful than thesea god’s daughters. But I don’t know,maybe this blast of odd events was agood omen. Owls are symbols of wisdomand shooting stars are lucky, right?What do you think? Are we blessedor cursed? — Spooked Taurus.” DearSpooked: The question of whether it’sgood or bad luck is irrelevant. Here’swhat’s important: You Tauruses arein a phase when the hidden workingsof things will be shown to you — themysterious magic that’s always bubblingbelow the surface but that is usuallynot visible.GEMINI (May 21-June 20):The week ahead will be a ripe time topull off magic reversals. May I suggestthat you try to transform dishwatergreys into sparkling golds? Or howabout recycling the dead energy of alost cause in such a way as to generateraw fuel for a fresh start? I’m confident,Gemini, that you’ll be able todiscover treasure hidden in the trash,and that you’ll find a way to unleashthe creative zeal that has been trappedinside polite numbness. Now ponderthis riddle, please: Do you think there’sany mystical significance in the factthat the word “stressed” is “desserts”spelled backwards?CANCER (June 21-July 22):Lately you remind me of the personRobert Hass describes in his poem“Time and Materials”: “someone fallingdown and getting up and runningand falling and getting up.” I’m sendingyou my compassion for the timesyou fall down, and my admiration forthe times you get up, and my excitementfor the times you run. It has probablybecome clear to you by now thatthe falling down isn’t a shameful thingto be cursed, but rather is an instrumentalpart of the learning process that isteaching you marvelous secrets aboutgetting back up and running.LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):“I burn for no reason, like a lantern indaylight,” writes poet Joseph Lease.I think that’s a succinct formulationof one of your central issues, Leo.Burning for no reason, like a lantern inthe daylight, can be the cause of eitherfailure or success for you, dependingon subtle differences of emphasis. Thisis how it can be failure: Whenyou’re mindlessly and wastefullyburning through your prodigiousreserves of fuel withoutany concern for the benefits itmay provide you and others.This is how it can be success:When you are exuberant andself-disciplined in shining yourlight and radiating your warmthjust because it feels so goodand so right and so healthy,and without any thought aboutwhether it’s “useful” to anyone.VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):In one of his short poems, John Averill(twitter.com/wiremesa) describes ascene that I think captures the essenceof your current astrological omens:“Today is the day of the photo ofmoonrise over Havana in a book on ashelf in the snowbound cabin.” Here’sa clue about what it means: The snowboundcabin is where you are right nowin your life. The moonrise over Havanais where you could be early in 2010.How do you get there from here?LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):An estuary is a bay where the saltwater of a sea mixes with the freshwater of rivers. These days you remindme of such a place. You are two-toned,Libra. You’re dual-purpose and doubletracked.You’re a hybrid blend of theyes and the no, the give and the take,the extravagant and the traditional.And somehow this has been workingout pretty well for you. You’re not somuch a dysfunctional contradictionas an interesting juxtaposition. You’renot being crushed by a squeeze ofopposites so much as you’re gettingmassaged by the oscillating throbs ofcomplementary influences. Keep doingwhat you’ve been doing, only more so.SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):Big shiny egos with flashy tricks maybe mucking around in everyone’sbusiness, calling narcissistic attentionto themselves as they pretend to donoble deeds. Meanwhile, I hope you’llbe doing the hard, detailed work thatmust be done to serve the greater good— quietly and unpretentiously improvingpeople’s lives without demandingmajor tribute. That approach will stirup some sleek, silky karma that willcome in handy when you undertake thebuilding of your masterpiece in 2010.